Grave-vault.



w. U. COLTHAR. GRAVE VAULT. APPLICATION FILED MAR. '7, 1912!.

1,091,1 96. Patented Mar. 24, 19h;

ammzwl o'a Wane/sow COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON, n. C.

barren sra'rns PATENT onnron.

WILLIAM U. COLTI-IAR, 0F SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, TO THE CHAMPIONCHEMI- GAL COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

GRAVE-VAULT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 24,1914.

Application filed March '7, 1912. Serial No. 682,252.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM U. COLTHAR, acitizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county ofClark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Grave-Vaults, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying draw- This inventionrelates to grave vaults and the object of the invention is to provlde avault, the available interior dimensions of which can be increasedwithout altering the exterior dimensions or structure, thus enabling thevault to receive a casket of a size larger than the size for which itwas designed.

Metallic grave vaults are usually provided with internal locking deviceswhich necessarily project into the interior of the vault and reduce theavailable length or width, as the case may be, of the vault. Inasmuch asthese locking devices are usually secured to the lid and upper portionof the body of the vault at a height greater than the height of thewidest portions of the casket there is ample space withinthe vault for acasket of a width greater than the width of the space between thelocking devices. This wider space cannot be utilized because the casketcannot be passed between the locking devices.

In order to make this space available it is a further object of theinvention to provide means for detachably connecting the locking devicesto the body of the vault, thus enabling the same to be removed to permitthe casket to be placed within the vault and then reattached to thevault to enable the closure to be locked in its closed position.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a gravevault with the closure in its open position and showing the inventionembodied therein; Fig. 2 is a detail view of the locking lug and itsconnecting device showing theparts separated; and Fig. 3 is a similarview showing the locking lug rigidly secured to the wall of the vault.

In these drawings I have illustrated the invention as applied to ametallic grave vault of a well known construction comprising a bodyportion 1 and a hinged closure or lid 2. This vault is of the burglarproof type and is provided with automatic looking devices which compriselugs 3 secured to the inner surfaces of the end and side walls of thevault and automatically acting movable locking devices 4:, which, in thepresent instance, are in the form of spring-pressed jaws having portionsadapted to extend beneath the edges of the lugs and automatically lockthe closure in its closed position.

It will be noted that these lugs are of considerable width, that is,they project for some distance into the body of the vault. As these lugsare actually constructed they are from three-fourths of an inch to aninch in width and inasmuch as they are secured to both side walls andboth end walls of the vault it will be obvious that the available widthand length of the vault are reduced about an inch and one-half or twoinches. The lugs, as shown, are secured to the side walls of the vaultnear the top thereof and occupy positions above the level of thoseportions of the casket of the greatest width and length. However, theavailable width and length of the vault is limited to the space betweenthe lugs, as the casket must pass between these lugs to enter the vault.It not infrequently happens that a casket is a trifle larger than thestandard size for which the vault was built and the undertaker will haveon hand the standard size vault but cannot use it because the casketisslightly larger than the standard size. To overcome this difliculty andenable the available width of the vault to be increased either at theends or the sides or both can be made removable but as a matter ofpractice it is the width of the vault that it is most frequently desiredto increase and, therefore, I have, in the present construction, shownonly those lugs on the side walls of the vault as removable. The lugsmay be removably attached to the walls of the vault in any suitablemanner but I prefer to attach them so that the lug and its fasteningdevices will be arranged entirely within the 'vault and, further, tomake the fastening device of such a character that no tools will berequired to remove or attach the same other than a hammer or some otherdevice with which a blow can be struck. To accomplish this I havemounted each lug on a supporting plate 5 having in that surface thereofwhich lies adjacent to the vault wall a horizontal, tapered, dovetailedgroove, as indicated at 6. Rigidly secured to the inner surface of thevault wall at a point at which it is desired to attach the lug is atapered, dovetailed connecting plate 7 adapted to enter the dovetailedgroove in the supporting plate 5 of the lug.

It will be obvious that the lug can be attached to the wall by drivingthe same onto the connecting plate 7 and removed in the same manner. Itwill thus be noted that a frictional connection is formed between thewall of the body portion and the lug. Further, the dovetailed groove andfastening plate being horizontal the lug will be rigidly held againstupward movement and, therefore, its function as a locking device is inno wise interfered with or its efficiency decreased. The connectingplate 7 is preferably welded to the inner surface of the vault wall, asthis forms a very strong, sightly connection and one which cannot betampered with from the exterior of the vault. Further, I prefer to formthe connecting plate of relatively heavy sheet metal, the edges of theplate being bent inward to give it the dovetailed shape. These outwardlybent edges form flanges which have a certain amount of resiliency, whichresiliency, while very slight, is sufiicient to impart to the connectingplate a very strong gripping action and serves to make the connectionbetween the lug and the connecting plate a firm one and to prevent itfrom jarring loose.

While I have shown and described the invention as applied to oneparticular form of fastening device it will be understood that it isequally applicable to fastening devices of other kinds and further thatI do not wish to be limited to the details of construction shown anddescribed, for obvious modifieations will occur to a person skilled inthe'art.

I-Iaving thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is t- 1. Ina grave vault, the combination, with a body portion and a closure, of alocking device comprising two cooperating members, one of said membersbeing connected to the closure and the other of said members beingmounted within said body portion on one of the side walls thereof, andmeans for detachably connecting the last-mentioned member to said sidewall, said connecting means being so constructed and arranged that thetransverse movement of said member will detach the same from said wall.

2. In a grave vault, the combination, with a body portion and a closure,of a locking device comprising two cooperating members, one of saidmembers being connected to the closure and the other of said membersbeing mounted within said body portion on one of the side walls thereof,said last mentioned member and said side wall having wedge-shapedinterlocking parts cooperating to connect said last-mentioned member tosaid side wall.

3. In a grave vault, the co1nbination,with a body portion and a closure,of a locking device comprising two cooperating parts, one of said partsbeing connected to the closure and the other of said parts being carriedby a supporting plate, said supporting plate having a groove in onesurface thereof and a fastening plate rigidly secured to the wall ofsaid vault and adapted to enter the groove in said supporting plate.

at. In a grave vault, the combination, with a body portion and aclosure, of a locking device comprising two cooperating parts, one ofsaid parts being connected to the closure and the other of said partsbeing carried by a supporting plate, said supporting plate having atapered, dovetailed groove extending transversely to its length and asubstantially horizontal tapered, dovetailed plate rigidly secured tothe wall of said vault and adapted to enter the groove in saidsupporting plate.

5. In a grave vault, the combination, with a body portion and a closuretherefor, of a locking lug, a supporting plate for said lug having atapered, dovetailed groove in one face thereof, a tapered, dovetailedplate rigidly secured to the body portion of said vault and adapted toenter the groove in said supporting plate, and a pair of springpressedlocking jaws mounted on said closure and adapted to engage said lug.

6. The combination, with a lug, and a supporting member therefor havinga tapered groove therein, of a connecting plate adapted to be secured tothe supporting member for said lug and having two of its edges bentoutward to form converging flanges adapted to enter said dovetailedgroove.

7. In a grave vault, the combination, with a body portion and a closure,of a connect- 1' ing plate rigidly secured to one of the walls ingdevice carried by the closure and adapt- 10 ed to cooperate with the lugto lock said closure to the body portion.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM U. COLTHAR. Witnesses:

GEO. W. WINANs, CLAY W. MoIN'rmE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner 0! Pstents, Washington, D. G."

